Coleman Hawkins

USA, 1921–1969

American tenor saxophonist (1904-1969) who established the instrument as a jazz voice. His 1939 'Body and Soul', an improvisation that barely states the melody, links swing to bebop.

MusicRoots documents 1 artist who influenced Coleman Hawkins and 3 artists Coleman Hawkins influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Coleman Hawkins?

• Louis Armstrong — Armstrong showed Hawkins how to build a solo improvisation with architectural logic and lyrical freedom.

Which artists did Coleman Hawkins influence?

• John Coltrane — Hawkins's 'Body and Soul' was one of the first recordings Coltrane mastered — a primary influence on his saxophone approach.
• Wayne Shorter — Hawkins, who made the tenor a solo voice, was among the saxophonists Shorter idolised at the start.
• Roy Eldridge — Eldridge set himself to play Hawkins's 1926 solo on 'The Stampede' on the trumpet - which is why his line moves like a saxophone's and why bebop could be played on a horn at all.